


Nightmares and Memories

by Grimalkenkid



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 21:13:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6770077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grimalkenkid/pseuds/Grimalkenkid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone handles nightmares in their own way, but sometimes it's too much to handle by oneself.</p>
<p>(Cross-posted from tumblr.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightmares and Memories

            The moon was hiding behind a veil of black that night, yet Oboro couldn’t get back to sleep. She wasn’t even sure what had woken her in the first place. Perhaps the new moon itself had roused her from the dreamless sleep she’d been having, eager to remind her of a similar night so many years ago. The lancer slipped out from under the covers, making sure not to disturb Niles. She wouldn’t let her own bad memories keep him from getting a full night’s sleep. Slipping on some sandals, Oboro crept out of their quarters and into the halls in search of some menial task to distract her.

            It was a quiet night, few animals venturing out due to the lack of moonlight. The silence didn’t make her feel out of place, though. She could still hear some crickets singing their songs in hopes that another cricket would join them. That soft sound lulled her into a rhythm as she grabbed a broom from the storage closet and set about cleaning the mess hall. The mindlessness of the task drew her focus from the memories that plagued her on nights like this. She hardly noticed anything going on around her until the sound of glass breaking nearly made her jump.

            Whirling around, Oboro huffed and hefted the broom in her hands like she did her naginata, ready for any potential intruder who might’ve just broken into the castle. She wasted no time in rushing to the source of the sound. Turning a corner, she saw a man crouching on the kitchen floor, barely illuminated by a single candle. “Alright, you bastard, you better have a good reason for breaking in here!” she roared… before registering that all of the few windows in the kitchen were intact.

            That realization came too late, though, as the man she had just threatened really did jump at her voice and slipped just as he tried turning around to face her. Falling hard on his rear, he let out a yelp. Now that he was facing her, Oboro could clearly see who it was.

            “Niles? What are you doing here?”

            The lancer dropped her broom and rushed to kneel by his side. He flinched at her touch but quickly relaxed as she rubbed small, comforting circles on his shoulder. It wasn’t like him to be so ungraceful, even if he’d just woken up, so Oboro let her husband answer her in his own time.

            “O… Obo… ro?” Niles turned to face her, and her heart clenched as she saw the shine of unshed tears in his single blue eye.

            “Yeah, it’s me.” Oboro settled in closer to him, reaching around to hold both his shoulders. “Did I wake you up? And what happened? You’re shaking like a leaf.”

            Niles shook his head. “N-no… I-it’s nothing. I just needed some water.”

            “Then what was that crash I heard?”

            He glanced over his shoulder, and Oboro followed his gaze to see shards of glass littering the floor. “I… I dropped it,” Niles said, some of his normal confidence sneaking its way back into his voice. “Sorry… That must’ve been startling.”

            The lancer pouted. She could easily see that he was far more startled than she was, though she doubted it was because of a broken glass. “It’s okay. How about you go sit down in the mess hall? I was sweeping anyway, so I can get this cleaned up quick.”

            She almost expected some kind of resistance, but Niles just nodded and shakily got to his feet. With a bit of help, he made it to the main room and plopped down in one of the chairs. Oboro swung back to get him another cup of water and made sure he was holding it firmly before going back to dispose of the broken glass. When she was done with that task, the lancer pulled another chair up to sit beside him.

            “Niles?” she ventured, not continuing until he was facing her again. “What got you out of bed?”

            “I just needed some water,” Niles said as he motioned to the now empty cup on the table. His lack of innuendo or attempt at a crude joke made the explanation fall flat… as did the tears she’d seen earlier.

            “Maybe, but it wasn’t just that. You look like you were crying. Did you have a nightmare or something?” Oboro had been half joking when she said it was a nightmare, but he inhaled sharply at the word. Whatever little smile had been working its way onto her lips died immediately, and she pulled him into a loose hug. “You… don’t have to answer if you really don’t want to. I’m just curious since you’ve never gotten up in the middle of the night before.”

            Niles laid his head against her shoulder, and his response was partially muffled by her nightshirt. “You were there the other times…”

            “The other times? Niles…” Her words stopped as he nuzzled against her. Oboro knew her husband could be affectionate when he wanted, but it had never surprised her more than it did now.

            He weakly returned her hug when he spoke again, after a few moments of silence. “I… have a memory. A… painful… memory… from when I was a child…” Niles swallowed thickly, and Oboro could tell that he was trying to push it from his mind. His pauses reminded her too much of what she would do when she didn’t want to talk about her parents. Part of her wanted to say something, but he continued before any words could form. “It wakes me up… I used to have a way of… dealing with it on my own, but since you’re always right beside me… I just hold your hand… and I feel safe. Like… he can’t hurt me anymore…”

            Oboro resisted the urge to ask Niles who “he” was, feeling him tremble either at the memory or from an attempt to keep from remembering it fully. She pulled him closer, running her hand through his unruly hair. “I’m sorry, love,” she said softly. “I just got up to distract myself from… well… my own bad memory. I didn’t mean to cause you any distress.”

            Niles shook his head slightly. “I know… Can we go back to bed? I don’t want to sleep alone anymore…”

            The lancer pressed her lips to the top of his head. “That… sounds really good.”

            It took longer than expected to return to their room – mostly because Niles was reluctant to let go – but they eventually wound up back under the covers of their bed, curled up in each other’s arms to keep the nightmares away.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea's been in my head for at least a week, but I only just had the inspiration to actually write it. I love Oboro/Niles a lot, though I wish their supports had a little more than just talking about Niles' language.
> 
> Comments and critiques are always welcome.


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